Win2k and Game problems

Hello all.
Here's my problem.
I never had any problems with stability on my comp until a month or so ago.
I am running:
1.2ghz Thunderbird
Asus A7V Mo/Bo
1.5gb PC133
ATI Radeon 8500
SBL Live 5.1 Gamer
50c steady on cpu
31c steady on mo/bo

The problem is that Windows 2k Pro frequently crashes and anytime I try to run a game, any game, I get a couple of minutes of flawless play and then an error message. The game shuts down and I get, with Soldier of Fortune as the example, SoF.exe has generated errors and will be closed by Windows. You will need to restart the program. An error log has ben created.

I've asked some more techie oriented friends of mine and they are baffled.

You might try Windows update. There's a compatibilty mode patch for games and several of the updates fix OS problems. Also SB and video drivers updates or fall backs, and try the SB in different PCI slots. Some onboard components and PCI cards don't play well together when they share interrupts. Then there's memory problems. Try just one stick and see how that goes. Then there's the registry getting clogged up with junk. CPU heatsink clogged with dust. That's the areas I can think of to troubleshoot the problem.

Sometimes it's just necessary to do a clean install of everything. Remember to backup your important documents, bookmarks, address books, save games, etc.